Other Worlds than These

 

Part 4:

 

            The timing had to be just right, or else they’d never make it into the Library.  Months of planning had come down to this moment.  They couldn’t afford for things to go awry now.

 

            The three Callers sat on their knees in their robes, right shoulders bare.  In the center of their little triangle was a large crystal scrying orb, more of a focal point than an item of magic.  They hummed and sang, tuning into each other until their thoughts and breathing synchronized, and their hearts beat to the same rhythm.  They were of one mind, one heart, one breath--a unified trio.

 

            Their target having been located, they awaited a pawn to move into position.  In fact, one was already in motion.  Now all they had to do was Call.

 

**************

 

            It was another week following the end of the Founding Festival before Ian Ivory returned to work.  Even then, it took a few days before Chief allowed him to take on more than quarter of his regular work load.

 

            After a full two weeks, though, Ian Ivory had enough of the kid-gloves treatment.  As much as he loved shifting over to Gatekeeper duties, Ian Ivory was ready for action.  He wanted everyone to stop casting side-long glances at him.  He wanted them to stop asking if he was okay.  He wanted them to continue their conversations instead of stopping whenever he entered a room.  Okay, they were concerned.  He got it!  Now if only they’d stop treating him like a rare, ancient document, he might be able to maintain his sanity.

 

            In the meantime, there were books to pull and review for the upcoming missions.  Most of them were training missions, and that meant a trip to the seventh floor where all the books on weapons and fighting techniques were kept.  He hoped Chief would at least send him on one of those missions.

 

            The Library had an elevator out of necessity; it was just too large not to have one.  Of course when the Library was discovered, no one had known what the elevator was used for.  That knowledge came later after they discovered how to cross over into the other worlds.  The idea that there had never been elevators in Celeste before the Library was difficult to grasp for so many of the younger psions, Ian Ivory included.  But then, a lot of things that Celeste had now weren’t needed before the Library.  It was amazing how a simple accident like the Broderickian Hole could lead to the discovery that changed Celeste so much.

 

            As he pondered these thoughts, Ian Ivory missed his floor.  Instead of the seventh floor, he got out on the ninth.  It was only a two floor difference; he could walk down, no problem.

 

            He was on his way to the stairs on the other side of the building when his feet frozen and refused to move.  His mind reeled.  A strange sensation stole over him, like there was something important that needed to be done.  He felt his body turn of its own accord and weave through the stacks.  He watched as his feet led him on a direct path to the most sacred area in the whole Library, fighting viciously to stop himself as he realized just what was going on: someone was calling the Manuscript.

 

            ‘Why me?’ he wondered.  ‘What did I do to deserve all this?’

 

            He made one last attempted to fight off the effects of the Call when another sensation rolled over him.  It was as if someone had poured ice water over his head and into his ears.  Everything went black.

 

**************

 

            "So you mean to tell me you've never..."

 

            "Stop."

 

            "But that’s impossible.  You must have..."

 

            "Dorian..."

 

            "...seen a..."

 

            "Sensei!"

 

            "...woman..."

 

            "PLEASE?!"

 

            Figuring it was coming, Dorian phased and allowed the clip board flying toward his skull to pass through unheeded.

 

            "Knock it off, ghostie," Solace said.  "Leave Ian Point alone.  He doesn’t want to talk about it.”

 

            Dorian laughed as he solidified and went to fetch the clipboard from the floor.  “Don’t be silly, Sol.  Of course he wants to talk about it.  You can see the curiosity burning in his eyes.”

 

            Really, it was his face that was burning, not his eyes.  Ian Point was blushing furiously and trying not to make eye contact with anyone.  Solace glanced toward the blonde and watched him hunch down behind his the copy of Wizard and Glass--a rare thing, really, since copies were only just starting to be replicated for use outside of the Library--then turned a skeptical frown back at the Ghost.

 

            “Uh-huh, sure he is.”

 

            “He is, I tell you,” Dorian insisted.  “He’s just shy.”

 

            “Not everyone is a pervert like you.  Did that ever cross your mind.”

 

            “Oh, sure they are,” Dorian said with a sly grin.  “They just need the proper motivation.  The right sound, the right atmosphere...the right caress upon their ear...”

 

            Unlike the clipboard, Dorian had not foreseen the boot flying toward his face.  It slammed into his nose and sent him flying backwards onto the floor.  For a few moments Dorian’s whole world centered around the pain in his nose, a pain so intense that it had its own sound and color.  When he opened his eyes, he saw Cuthbert crouching beside his head looking as calm as ever.  The Metamorph was missing a boot.

 

            “What you saw,” said Cuthbert in a low voice, “was private and is not to be spoken of in such a distasteful context.  Next time, the boot will not be empty.”

 

            Dorian nodded.

 

            Donning his boot again, Cuthbert helped Dorian off the floor and made his way to Solace’s side.  She smiled up at him as if nothing had happened.

 

            Violet and Rodney entered with a book cart between them.  This one was taller than most and was hard to push alone.

 

            “Bad news, guys,” said Rodney as he helped Violet maneuver the beastly cart into the Control Room.  “There was an accident in Control Room Three this morning.”

 

            All attention focused on Rodney as he told them of the accident.  Control Room Three was responsible for religious texts.  One of the team members who was supposed to observe in the Tao Te Ching was sent to the wrong place.  Rodney wasn’t sure where exactly the Wanderer in question was sent, but he knew for a fact that it was a book normally assigned to Control Room Six.

 

            “Looks like Ian Ivory isn’t the only target,” he said. “That, or this is all completely random.”

 

            “Who was it?” Solace asked.  “Do you know?”

 

            “It was Ian Oculus,” Violet answered.  “This was his first solo mission in the field.”

 

            Ian Oculus was a warm, friendly young man who would never harm anyone.  He specialized in Eastern religions as a Gatekeeper and had only just recently started cross-training to become a Wanderer.  How anyone could wish him harm was beyond comprehension.

 

            “Is he going to be okay?” Ian Point asked nervously.

 

            “Word is that he’s been wounded pretty severely,” Rodney answered.  “I don’t know how much of it is true, but I heard something about gashes around his third eye.  In any case, they’re already short three team members since Dharma, Anthony, and Felix retired last month.  Now they’re down to two, and that means the rest of the Control Rooms are getting the assignments for Three until Chief can get some new blood in here.”

 

            Solace, Cuthbert, and Violet all went rigid.  Their eyes stared vacantly ahead into nothingness.  It was over in an instant, and the three relaxed briefly before bolting to the door.  Rodney, Dorian, and Ian Point followed them wondering what had come over their comrades.  Rushing out the door, they nearly collided with the Cuthbert the others as they stood staring into the Library’s main area.

 

            The Library was usually quiet save for the soft bustling of the Librarians.  At this moment, however, there was no soft bustling.  There was no murmuring, no page flipping, no filing, no squeaky book carts; there was nothing to be heard except a kind of rumbling like that of a distant storm.

 

            “Do you hear it?” Violet whispered.  “It’s the sound of one devoid of all emotion.”

 

            “It is the sound of hollowness,” whispered Solace.

 

            “It is the sound of impending danger,” said Cuthbert.  “All the vibrations are off.  Something is happening.”

 

            Dorian didn’t even have time to consider asking what they were babbling about.  At that very moment, Ian Ivory appeared at the top of the main staircase in the middle of the library that lead all the way up to the third floor.  His short platinum hair rustled as if caught in a breeze and his coat fanned out behind him as he made his decent.  His eyes glowed icy blue.  In his arms was a relatively thin book bound in rich brown leather with a buckle holding it securely closed.

 

            “Author’s Pen,” Dorian breathed.  “Is that what I think it is?”

 

            “He’s got the Manuscript,” Rodney said.  “Someone’s Calling it.”

 

            “And they’re not getting it,” Dorian growled.  Fading from view, he sped as fast as he could toward Ian Ivory, determined to stop him from taking the Manuscript from the Library.  He knew he was no match for Ian Ivory in battle, especially if someone else was pulling the strings and calling the shots, but the element of surprise was on his side and he could at least slow the Touch-Know down until the others could break the Call.

 

            Wanting to help, Ian Point rushed in help Dorian impede Ian Ivory’s progress.  Running straight at a wall of bookshelves, Ian Point used his telekinesis to push off and ricochet up to the staircase to tackle Ian Ivory.  He succeeded, but in the process he also tackled Dorian, who phased into view in front of Ian Ivory mere seconds before Ian Point collided with him.  Together the two held Ian Ivory pinned...

 

            ...for about five seconds.

 

            With a flick of Ian Ivory’s right hand, Dorian and Ian Point were sent flying.

 

            “You didn’t tell me he was a Telekinetic!” Ian Point yelled, steadying himself and catching Dorian by the arms.

 

            “I forgot!” Dorian yelled back.  “Sue me!”

 

            “Some sensei you are,” an Point muttered, setting Dorian on the ground before landing himself.  A hawk flew over their heads and made for Ian Ivory’s face.  Ian Ivory raised an arm to fight it off, but it soared upward at the last second and changed shape.  Cuthbert landed behind Ian Ivory grabbed both sides of the Touch-Know’s head with his bare hands.  300 hundred years of history poured into Ian Ivory’s mind: every waking moment since he was decanted; every transformation he learned how to perform; every battle he fought; every emotion he felt; all this and more rushed into Ian Ivory’s head and overloaded his brain.  He screamed and kicked, his eyes wide and blank, but still Cuthbert would not let go.

 

            Across the room, Rodney and Solace stood with their hands clasped to each other’s heads.  Rodney was searching for the person responsible for Calling the Manuscript, and he was taking Solace with him to help break the Call.

 

            “They‘re good” Rodney whispered.  “They covered their tracks very well.”

 

            “So there’s definitely more than one?” Solace asked, her eyes blazing gold behind the purple lenses.

 

            “At least three,” said Rodney.  “I can’t quite get a fix on them.  It’s harder when you don’t know who you’re looking for.”

 

            “Just keep focusing on the Call and trace it back,” Solace said.

 

            Ian Ivory gritted his teeth and strained against Cuthbert’s hold.  Dorian rushed forward to help Cuthbert restrain him.  He almost made it when Ian Ivory raised his hands and flung the Manuscript high into the air.  Jerking hard and dislodging Cuthbert’s hands, he raised his left hand and swung out.  Dorian and Cuthbert were unaffected, but the Manuscript went soaring and flew out the door.

 

            Cursing, Ian Point ran after it, leaving the others to deal with Ian Ivory alone.  He chased the flying Manuscript out into the lobby and out the doors where it ceased to fly and plummeted down the stairs.  It was caught by Librarian who had been on his way to work.  The Librarian looked at the Manuscript, shuddered as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice down his shirt, then turned and walked back to the Hole.

 

            “Wait!” Ian Point called as he ran down the long stretch of stairs, but he was too late.  The Librarian was through the Hole before Ian Point has halfway down.  Even if he did follow the Librarian, there was no guarantee that the Manuscript wouldn’t change hands again.  He closed his eyes and concentrated in an attempt to put his Seeking abilities to use, but it was no use.  He wasn’t half the Seeker that Rodney was, nor was his range very wide.  There was nothing he could do.